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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bass · season · game · cabinet · bark · key · bulb · nail

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. key — the most important part
  6. bulb — for light
  7. key — in music
  8. season — in sport
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. bulb — for light
  14. bass — the fish
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. key — for a lock
  17. game — wild animals
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. game — a match
  21. bass — low music
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. season — of the year
  24. bark — to shout

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com